Obviously, this is GOOOOD NEWS! Amazing that it took sooo long to post- I got her back in August! Let me do a re-cap of what's happened since then.

By July, I had finally saved up enough money for a Beagle...unfortunately, even though I'd been volunteering at the shelter for over a month by then, there were no Beagles around! Someone in petsmart suggested going over to the Lancaster shelter because their fees are cheaper and they always heave Beagles. So, we packed up the new-dog supplies and went.

It was nothing short of a hell-hole. Dogs were crammed four and five and even six at a time into cramped living quarters. A smell of urine and fear permeated the air. Flies buzzed everywhere. More thna half the dogs looked sick. I found a couple Beagles I was itnerested in, but it turns out they were both sick. We returned home angry and empty-handed.

After that I was so desperate to see a healthy dog, I returned to the local Beagle breeder. I had seen him about a month before and taken a look at him dogs. They were healthy, happy, and lively, and he ran a clean operation. I hopped on my bike right after we got home and rode over there. I was telling myself I was there 'just to look'...but those tiny puppies had already begun tugging at my heart. He had two 'batches' of puppies at that point- one litter of ten-week-old Tricolors, and another of fifteen-week-olds that had one Tricolor, two Blueticks, and one Lemon. I told him I was interested in seeing the older pups. (the younger ones were far out of my price range and I didn't need a show-quality dog, which those were. The others were to be sold strictly as pets)

As he carried the babies back to their kennel and returned, he held in his arms two of the most hyper puppies I'd ever seen. They were leaps and bounds bigger than the itty-bitty ten-week-olds. Of course they were adorable. Long ears and surprisingly long tails. These were the two blueticks. Next he carried in the tricolor and the Lemon. All four were female.

Now I had a decision to make. The Blueticks had very nice coloring, but I'd dreamed about the classic Tricolor Beagle romping at my side. Then again, that Lemon girl...she was stunning! Light reddish-tan patches were splattered over her mostly-white body. Her ears were so long- the breeder said hers were the longest in the litter. I held and played with all the puppies, but something about that Lemon captured my heart. She was shy at first, but soon rolling around in my lap, knawing my knuckles, and wagging her long tail.

It seemed invitable. I'd made my decision. The breeder went over the sales contract and said I could pick her up either Monday or Tuesday.

The next day I rode home with a wriggling Beagle puppy in my arms and tears in my eyes.

On Monday, August 11, almost two years to the day Annie has been loaded into the truck, I had my baby. My Beagle had come home.

Back on April 26, I went to Hook Park where a bunch of dog and their owners descended on the park and enjoyed, food, fun, and of course the fellowship of their fellow furry friends.  I didn’t see all the dogs that were there, but here’s a list of what I could identify-
-Bulldog (English, French, and American)
-Greyhound
-Chihuahua
-Border collie
-Golden retriever
-Rottweiler (both black-and-tan and red)
-Poodle (Toy and Standard)
-Bichon Frise
-Springer Spaniel
-Miniature Pincher
-Labrador Retriever (yellow, chocolate, and black)
-Yorkshire Terrier
-German Shepherd
-Australian Shepherd
-Boston terrier
-Dachshund
-Chow Chow
-Dalmation
-Welsh Corgi
-Great Dane
-Siberian Husky
-Beagle (tricolor and Lemon)
-Collie
-Bassett Hound (both English and American)
-Jack Russell Terrier
-Pit Bull Terrier
-Alaskan Malamute
-Boxer
-Pug
-Schnauzer
-Keeshond
-Foxhound
-Lhasa Apso
-Pomeranian
-Cocker spaniel
-Peikingese
-Bullmastiff
-Scottish Terrier
-West Highland White Terrier
-Shetland Sheepdog
-Bloodhound
-Shar Pei
-Australian Cattle Dog
-Doberman (both black-and-tan and red)
-Russian Mountain Dog
-Bernese Mountain Dog
-Whippet
-Wheaten Terrier
-Chinese Crested
-Black-and-tan Coonhound
-Papillion

Not to mention about a half-dozen I couldn’t identify, plus LOTS of mutts! Whew!

I arrived a half-hour before the festivities were about to begin (9:30), so I walked around for a while. At 10 O AM, it started with a word from the band (forgot their name), who proceeded to play ‘Hound Dog’. This continued to be the theme throughout the day, with ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ and a canine version of ‘House of the Rising Sun’ being some of the selections.

Out on one of Hook Park’s four baseball fields, many booths were set up, including three from various dog rescues; Petsmart, Border Collie Rescue of SoCal, and a Labrador rescue. There were of course lots of souveniers such as t-shirts and lots of dog-related items including handbags, canine clothing, food bowls, backpacks, bandannas, hats, knickknacks…you get the idea. There was even a ‘barkery’ featuring doggie confections! In short, it was a dog-lovers’ paradise.

At 10:05, the Muttley Crew had their first show. Who is the Muttley Crew? It’s a traveling trick troupe made up entirely of rescued dogs. Its purpose is not only to entertain, but to educate about the fun you can have with your dog, and the rewards from adopting. For a little under an hour, they wowed the crowd with spectacular jumps, agility, and funny Frisbee dogs.

After the Muttley Crew at 11:15, it was time for one of the funnier aspects of the day; a doggie fashion show! Every breed imaginable strutted their stuff in sweaters, a clown outfit, a ballerina Tutu, a fairy outfit, and of course their cute furry birthday suits. A good laugh was had by all, especially at the pooch who came dressed as a frankfurter! I think I feel a little sorry for them, though. Some of the Chihuahuas looked so scared and it was a warm day.

Next came lunch. Rather than blow my money getting a hot dog or some ribs, I had brown-bagged my lunch and only broke from my preplanned menu to get a free Sno-cone. J At 1:45, the Muttley Crew had another showing. This one was especially enjoyable, as a big Rottwieler pup named Thor made good friends with me…REALLY good friends! He licked me nearly to death, still intact tail wagging like mad. At one point he tried to sit in my lap! I loved, it, though. He wasn’t aggressive at all, just EXTREMELY friendly. Another funny point in the day was when a curious Doberman tried to steal my Sno-cone!

All in all, it was a good, fun day. I met at least three Beagles, all of whom were exceptionally sweet and well-behaved. It only further sold me on the Beagle breed.

Update: Yard Progress

Well, today I made another large stride toward getting my Beagle. There is a secondary gate in the backyard leading to the back gate. Right now the side yard leaves much to be desired, and I don’t want a curious Beagle to wander back there in search of a quick exit. So, I took down the rickety parts of the gate, repositioned the latticework, and fixed the latch so the gate won’t blow all over the place anymore. Next I hope I can replace the missing slats in the fence and fill in the holes.

In other news, it’s only one month, three weeks, and five days until my birthday- the dog deadline.  YIKES! In one way, that’s good; I have less time to wait. In another way, it’s not so good…I still don’t have enough saved for my ‘safety net’ (a sum of money put aside for emergencies). I will be getting a check next month that should make up the difference fairly quickly.